Considerations for the Follow-up and Review of the New Urban Agenda

In October 2016, United Nations member states will sign a global plan of action for sustainable urban development – the New Urban Agenda – at the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III). Strong follow-up and review processes are essential to maintain commitment and engagement over time for this document, thereby supporting the Agenda´s implementation. By identifying implementation successes and challenges, follow-up and review facilitate policy learning and provide an evidence base for implementation activities. They can moreover strengthen the New Urban Agenda’s inclusiveness and accountability.

Habitat III has often been framed as the first implementation conference of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Indeed, the 2030 Agenda has a substantial urban dimension, with many targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requiring the involvement of local urban stakeholders to ensure their achievement. In this context, it is likely that the follow-up and review processes of the New Urban Agenda and the 2030 Agenda will be linked and complementary. However, the actual relationship between these processes still needs to be concretised – both with respect to institutional dimensions as well as content.

Against this background, “Considerations for the Follow-up and Review of the New Urban Agenda” develops recommendations for the follow-up and review of the New Urban Agenda. These recommendations reflect lessons learned from relevant international agreements and urban initiatives, and also consider how all relevant actors can be encouraged to participate in the follow-up and review of the New Urban Agenda. They moreover outline suggestions for the relationship between the follow-up and review of the New Urban Agenda and the Agenda 2030.